-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Martin Brodeur was unstrapping his goaltending pads after another victory , about to be rushed to a TV interview , when a reporter on deadline made a request . Could he answer just one quick question ?

`` Yes , I 'm 40 , '' Brodeur cracked , predicting the question before it could be asked . `` For some reason , that 's a big deal . ''

Well , it actually is , and the reason is simple : Brodeur could n't celebrate the milestone -- his birthday was May 6 -- because he was too busy notching another win en route to leading the New Jersey Devils to the Eastern Conference Finals .

And now , as the playoffs move to the final two rounds , Brodeur has a chance to win the Stanley Cup at an age when most players already have hung up their skates and picked up their golf clubs .

Turning 40 usually means collecting your gag gifts and waking up with a hangover and a realization : You 're not as young as you used to be . For Brodeur , it means doing what he 's done his entire adult life : winning hockey games at the highest level in the sport .

No goaltender in NHL history has won more games than Brodeur : His 656 career victories are 105 more than Patrick Roy , who is second on the list . The next active goaltender on the all-time list , Roberto Luongo , has just 339 , so it 's a record that may never be broken .

And no one has appeared in a playoff game in his teens and his 40s , which became another line on Brodeur 's long rÃ © sumÃ © this week . He is the definition of longevity , and he 's not just hanging on by the edge of his skates , either .

Watch Brodeur 's greatest saves

`` You go out , and you compete against players that are such a young age , '' Brodeur said during the Devils ' second-round series against the Flyers , which they won in five games . `` I 'm more than twice the age of -LRB- Devils rookie defenseman -RRB- Adam Larsson . I mean , you kind of shake your head a little bit .

`` But you 're able to play at a level when you 're having fun and you 're able to compete in a league you always wanted to play and still be able to keep going . For me , I do n't take anything for granted . I appreciate every moment , especially this year . It 's been awesome for me . ''

Brodeur has spent his entire career outside the limelight . That comes with the territory of playing in the NHL , the least popular of the four major U.S. sports leagues , and playing for the Devils , who lack the following of their rivals across the Hudson River , the New York Rangers . The Devils , despite their continued success , are rarely picked for national TV games .

That does n't diminish what he could accomplish this spring . When Brodeur won his first Stanley Cup , he was just 23 . Now , if the Devils continue their hot streak through the playoffs , he could win his fourth at 40 .

That would be a 17-year gap between his first title and his last one . There are n't many athletes who can match that , but two who did -- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Babe Ruth -- are recognized amongst the greatest in sports history .

Brodeur is certainly among hockey 's greatest . Along with his three Stanley Cups -LRB- 1995 , 2000 , 2003 -RRB- , he 's won two Olympic gold medals -LRB- 2002 , 2010 -RRB- and the Vezina Trophy as the league 's top goalie four times -LRB- 2003 , 2004 , 2007 , 2008 -RRB- . His ability to handle the puck behind the net changed the sport , leading to a rule change that restricted where goalies could play the puck .

His critics have said that Brodeur benefited from the Devils ' defensive approach for years . But his former role model -- who later became his biggest rival -- thought that argument was unfair .

`` I remember in the playoffs , he once said he was facing more critics than shots , '' said Roy , who owns most of the NHL goaltending records that Brodeur does n't have . `` I thought it was a nice way to deal with the pressure . From the outside watching him , he almost makes it look easy , but I know how tough it is . ''

Roy retired in 2003 , when he was 37 . Brodeur is in the final year of his contract but has said he 's leaning toward coming back next year -- his 20th in a Devils uniform -- `` if they 're going to take me back . ''

He said he 's having too much fun to stop now .

`` You have to enjoy what you do , '' he said . `` I 've been here for so long that I 've had different roles regardless of me playing or not playing . Just watching guys and helping guys during their careers to make the right decisions . You have to think the right way and go through hurdles for success . ''

The 40-year-old goaltender is doing what 's he 's done for two decades now : winning hockey games . About the only time he shows his age is when he counted the candles on the birthday cake from his family . There were only about 20 of them .

`` Could n't find a big enough cake , I guess , '' he said with a laugh .

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New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur turned 40 on May 6

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He could n't celebrate because he was about to lead the Devils to the Eastern Conference Finals

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Steve Politi : `` No goaltender in NHL history has won more games than Brodeur ''

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He won his first Stanley Cup at 23 ; he could win his fourth at an age most players are retired